Clayton.
Clayton had been here.
Fuck.
Panic surged, and my gaze darted left and right; there was no one on the street, and absolutely no indication that I was being watched.
It didn’t matter.
He’d been here once.
He’d be back.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I remained in the doorway, dripping water onto the floorboards as I studied the shadows with both my regular senses and my psychic. There was no sign of intrusion. No sense that someone waited inside, ready to pounce. No emotion in the air beyond the echoes of warmth and happiness that lingered after yesterday’s trading.
The building remained safe. I was safe. For now.
But that would only last until Clayton figured out a way to get past the wild magic.
A chill crawled up my spine, and it wasn’t entirely due to my soaked shoes and cold feet. I stepped inside and then closed and locked the door. But I didn’t immediately move; I simply stood there, my forehead resting against the door, sucking in air and trying to control the fear that rampaged through me.
I wasn’t sixteen. I wasn’t powerless. Not anymore.
And yet the knowledge that Clayton was now in the reservation—that it would only be a matter of time before he confronted us—made me feel like that frightened teenager all over again.
I’m coming home. Belle’s thought was sharp and worried.
Don’t. Our deeper protections still stand, so I really am safe. He won’t dare tackle the wild magic—he saw what it did to my mother.
And what if you’re wrong? What if he was just waiting for you to arrive?
Then it’s better that you remain at a distance. It allows me to call on either your talents or your strength if necessary, without putting you in his path.
We can’t hide forever, Liz, and I for one have no intention of doing so. This is part of his game. This is what he wants—us in a state of panic.
Well, it’s damn well working.
Because of what you went through. Because of what he did. But you’re not that person anymore.
I know. I sucked in another of those breaths that did little to help the sick churning in my gut and pushed away from the door. I can’t imagine Kash will be happy about leaving the party early.
Like I really care what he thinks when he’s chatting up another woman. Besides, Monty’s already volunteered to bring me home.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn’t help smiling. Of course he did.
He thinks it would be a good idea if he adds an additional protection layer over ours.
I frowned. Why? Clayton could bust his magic as easily as he did ours.
Yes, but he believes it might just make Clayton rethink a second entry attempt.
Again, why? He was never one to worry too much about what those lower in power thought.
I know, but Monty is the resident witch here and, as such, the government’s mouthpiece. Even Clayton can’t afford to disrespect that.
Maybe. Maybe not. I guess it really depends on whether his anger is more the “I made a deal and you will honor it” or the “I’ve gone insane and you will pay” type.
I suspect it might be the latter—especially if my anti-erection spell really has lasted all these years.
There was no regret in Belle’s mental tone, but why would there be? She’d unleashed that spell to save me from rape, and if Clayton had spent the years since in manhood hell, then I for one thought it well deserved.
Though I had no doubt we were both likely to pay a high price for it.
We’ll be there in half an hour, she continued. Have the coffee ready.
Will do.
I sent Aiden a quick text to explain what had happened and asked him to be careful. His response was immediate and made me smile: Do you need me there?
No, I sent back, Monty and Belle are coming home to help shore up our defenses. We’ll be fine.
And if I said that often enough, I might even start to believe it.
I headed upstairs for a shower, though the heat didn’t really do much to chase the chill from my flesh. Once dressed, I trundled back downstairs to put on the kettle and consoled myself with a thick slab of chocolate cake.
Monty and Belle arrived just over ten minutes later.
“Fuck,” I said, as they walked through the door. “You must have broken the land speed record to get here so fast.”
Monty’s grin flashed. “I figured that if the rangers did pull me over, I’d just have to say you were under attack, and I’d probably get a lights-and-sirens escort here.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that,” I replied, amused. “Especially if it was Tala who pulled you over.”
Tala was Aiden’s second-in-charge, and though she’d come to accept that my abilities were real, and even somewhat useful, she tended to play by the rules even more than Aiden.
“Even Tala would know better than to delay us when your safety is on the line,” Monty said.
“Except in this case, it wasn’t. And you were well aware of that.”
“Yeah, but she wouldn’t have been.” He pulled out a chair and sat down. “Clayton really did a number on your spells, didn’t he?”
“Yes.” I finished making our coffees, sliced up more chocolate cake—it was definitely a two-pieces-of-cake night for me—and then carried it all over. “But at least he didn’t get in.”
“Only thanks to the threads of wild magic,” Belle commented. “Which means we’ll need to use it to shore up—”
“No,” I cut in. “Under no circumstances.”
“Why?” Monty accepted his coffee with a nod and helped himself to a piece of
